Love to the Baby that Ne'er Saw the Sun: Anglo-Saxon Eaves-Drip Burials at Raunds, Northamptonshire

<p dir="ltr">In the 1970s, 23 late 10^th and early 11^th century neonate and infant burials were uncovered in the cemetery at Raunds, Northamptonshire, a late Anglo-Saxon field church, all within 1.5 metres of the structure. These unusual burials are present at several Late Saxon cemeteries in England, and some have been found throughout continental Europe. The predominant theory in scholarship suggests that these burials are the result of unbaptised, deceased infants being buried below the eaves of the church, in the hopes that as rainwater fell on the roof, it would be imbued with sanctity. As the holy water dripped off the church roof, it would provide a blessing to those below, leading to the term ‘eaves-drip burials’. Some scholars have critiqued this theory for romanticising Anglo-Saxon mortuary rites, however, few scholars have analysed these burials to any great depth. This lack of in-depth analysis led to the present research, which aims to identify what novel insights may be gleaned regarding these burials via the application of Deleuzian Assemblage Theory, an approach not yet used in this area of study. By analysing the combined role of Paganism, Christianity and their interconnectedness throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, baptismal rites, and the imbued significance of the church landscape, I have provided some insights which stress the multi-scalar and ever-evolving state of the eaves-drip burial assemblage. The present research ultimately calls into question the prevailing posthumous baptismal narratives regarding the eaves-drip phenomenon. Instead, I suggest that eaves-drip burials may reflect a desire to protect the infants’ bodies and souls from various natural and supernatural threats, demarcate their proximity to God in the cosmos, and provide material and immaterial coping strategies for the bereaved.</p>